POLSC301: American Political Thought

Unit 8: Post-War America and Seeds of Civil UnrestAfter World War II, American culture and politics forever changed. In
the 1950s, the country went through an “age of conformity,” where many
in society and politics looked to instill American ideals and values
upon all citizens. In addition, the 1950s gave rise to national and
international fears of communist expansion and atomic war. The events
of the 1950s created a need for change among many in society, change
that would be brought about by a new decade and new struggles. In this
unit you will explore topics that occurred in the post-war era in the
United States and social and political conditions that were setting the
stage for change in the 1960s.

Unit 8 Time Advisory
This unit should take you approximately 11.5 hours to complete.

☐ Subunit 8.1: 4 hours

☐ Subunit 8.1.1: 1 hour

☐ Subunit 8.1.2: 2 hours

☐ Subunit 8.1.3: 1 hour

☐ Subunit 8.2: 3 hours

☐ Subunit 8.2.1: .5 hours

☐ Subunit 8.2.2: 1.5 hours

☐ Subunit 8.2.3: 1 hour

☐ Subunit 8.3: 4.5 hours

☐ Subunit 8.3.1: 1 hour

☐ Subunit 8.3.2: 1 hour

☐ Subunit 8.3.3: .5 hours

☐ Subunit 8.3.4: 1 hour

☐ Subunit 8.3.5: .5 hours

☐ Subunit 8.3.6: .5 hours

Unit8 Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

Discuss anti-Communist sentiment as expressed during
the McCarthy era.

Describe 1950s’ political discourse on U.S.-Soviet
relations.

Trace the continuing evolution of the burgeoning
civil rights movement.

Discuss the Kennedy administration’s policy
approaches on the major domestic and international issues of the
early 1960s.

Note on the Web Media: Open Mind is a Public Broadcast Station
(PBS) television show that began in 1956. In this clip, host
Richard Heffner interviews author Penn Kimball about his experience
in the McCarthy era and the recent release of his book, The File.
Although this show’s airdate is 1984, a great deal of the interview
contextualizes the McCarthy era and American political thought in
general.

Terms of use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Note on the Text: The domino theory was used by Eisenhower and
successive presidents during the Cold War to clarify the need for
American intervention around the world.The theory stated that the
“fall” of a noncommunist state to communism would precipitate the
fall of noncommunist governments in neighboring states.

Terms of use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above

Reading: The History Guide’s version of George F. Kennan’s “The
Sources of Soviet Conduct” (1947)
Link: The History Guide’s version of George F. Kennan’s “The
Sources of Soviet
Conduct” (1947)

Instructions: Please read the short introduction and the text of
Kennan’s essay.

Note on the Text: George Kennan was best known as “the father of
containment” and as a key figure in the emergence of the Cold War.
Historians consider this essay to be one of the foundation texts of
the Cold War policy. How does Kennan suggest the United States deal
with Soviet expansionism? Why does he favor that particular stance?
Do you agree or disagree?

Terms of use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Please begin by reading the “Document Info,” then,
under the “current document” drop-down menu, click on “document
transcript” to read the speech in which President Eisenhower
famously identified the military-industrial complex, warning that
the growing fusion between corporations and the armed forces posed a
threat to democracy.

Terms of use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Please begin by reading the “Document Info,” then,
under the “current document” drop-down menu, click on “document
transcript” to read the groundbreaking executive order which lifted
the ban on segregation in the U.S. armed forces.

Terms of use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Read the background information about Eisenhower’s
Executive Order 10730 and then click on the image to read the
original text in its entirety.

Terms of use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

8.3 The Presidency of John F. Kennedy8.3.1 The Religion Question”: The First Catholic President
- Reading: NPR’s version of John F. Kennedy’s “Address to Protestant
Ministers” (1960)
Link: NPR’s version of John F. Kennedy’s “Address to Protestant
Ministers”
(1960) (HTML)

Instructions: Please read the transcript from Kennedy’s religion
speech. You can also listen to the speech by clicking on the
hyperlink at the top of the page.

Note on the Text: In this speech, JFK addresses the Greater
Houston Ministerial Association on the issue of his religion.
Kennedy hoped to calm the fears of many Protestant Christians who
remained concerned about the prospect of a Catholic president. He
succeeded in doing so by reaffirming the separation of church and
state, decrying any mixing of religion and politics, and vowing, if
elected, never to let his religious views influence his decisions as
president. Why do you think the speech was so effective in allaying
the fears of Protestant Christians?

Terms of use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

8.3.2 Inaugural Address: Ideals and Optimism
- Web Media: University of Virginia: The Miller Center for Public
Affairs’ version of John F. Kennedy’s “Inaugural Address” (January
20, 1961)
Link: University of Virginia: The Miller Center for Public Affairs’
version of John F. Kennedy’s “Inaugural
Address”
(January 20, 1961) (Adobe Flash)

[Quicktime](http://web2.millercenter.org/speeches/video/mov/spe_1961_0120_kennedy.mov)
[RealMedia](http://web2.millercenter.org/speeches/video/rm/spe_1961_0120_kennedy.rm)
[MP3](http://web2.millercenter.org/speeches/audio/spe_1961_0120_kennedy.mp3)
Instructions: Watch this video of President Kennedy’s 1961
Inaugural Address, which is widely considered to be among the best
presidential inauguration speeches in American history.
Terms of use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Watch the news reel from 1961 outlining the Peace
Corps. How does Kennedy’s support of the creation of this agency
reflect the sentiment behind the famous line from his inaugural
address (above): “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your
country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country”?
Terms of use: The video above is available in the Public Domain.

Instructions: Watch this clip of President Kennedy’s speech at Rice
University in 1962.
Note on the Web Media: The [transcript of the
speech](http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/jfk-space.htm) (HTML)
is also available for your reference.
Note on the Text: In 1961, President Kennedy announced the dramatic
and ambitious goal of sending an American safely to the moon before
the end of the decade. He knew it to be a very challenging
technological feat, but it was an area of space exploration in which
the United States actually had a potential lead. Kennedy felt great
pressure to have the United States catch up to and overtake the
Soviet Union in the “space race.” Thus the Cold War is the primary
contextual lens through which many historians now view Kennedy's
speech.
Terms of use: The above material is released in the Public Domain.

Instructions: Watch parts I and II of the video of President
Kennedy’s televised presidential address on the Cuban Missile
Crisis.

Note on the Text: In October 1962, an American U-2 spy plane
secretly photographed nuclear missile sites being built by the
Soviet Union on the island of Cuba. President Kennedy did not want
the Soviet Union and Cuba to know that he had discovered the
missiles. After many long and difficult meetings, Kennedy decided
to place a naval blockade around Cuba. The aim of this “quarantine”
was to prevent the Soviets from bringing in more military supplies.
He demanded the removal of the missiles already there and the
destruction of the sites. On October 22, President Kennedy spoke to
the nation about the crisis in a televised address. The Cuban
Missile Crisis was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war.

Terms of use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

8.3.6 The Assassination of JFK
- Web Media: University of Virginia: The Miller Center for Public
Affairs’ version of Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Address to Joint Session of
Congress” (November 27, 1963)
Link: University of Virginia: The Miller Center for Public Affairs’
version of Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Address to Joint Session of
Congress”
(Adobe Flash) (November 27, 1963)

Also available in:

[Quicktime](http://web2.millercenter.org/speeches/video/mov/spe_1963_1127_johnson.mov)
[RealMedia](http://web2.millercenter.org/speeches/video/rm/spe_1963_1127_johnson.rm)
[MP3](http://web2.millercenter.org/speeches/audio/spe_1963_1127_johnson.mp3)
Instructions: Watch this video of President Johnson’s address after
the assassination of President Kennedy where he talks about carrying
out the work and wishes of Kennedy and coming together as one
nation.
Terms of use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.